Houston Rockets Free Agency Update: What is Next?

The Rockets have had an eventful offseason so far.

From bigger moves like the Chris Paul trade to smaller moves like trading for non-guaranteed salaries, the Rockets have seen it all so far this free agency period. With that being said, there is still much work to be done to fill out the roster. Currently, the team has 8 rotation players signed. Let’s do a quick recap of the offseason so far and then look to the future.

What Has Happened So Far?

On June 28, the Rockets shocked the world. They traded Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, a first round pick and more to the Clippers for Chris Paul. This trade has been the beginning of what has been an eventful offseason for the team.

To fill the salary cap, the Rockets signed quite a few non-guaranteed players such Ryan Kelly and Tim Quarterman. Should Houston Make another move, these players will likely be a part of the trade.

The team pursued free agent stars Blake Griffin, Kyle Lowry and Paul Millsap but struck out on all three. The Rockets also pursued Paul George in a trade but lost out in the bidding war to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

A few smaller moves were made after that. The team initially struggled to re-sign backup center Nene Hilario but was eventually successful. The Rockets also signed P.J. Tucker to a 4-year, $32 million deal. Tucker left more money on the table in Toronto so that he could play with Chris Paul and James Harden in Houston.

What are the Rockets Doing Now?

The Rockets are now looking to sign cheap veteran players to round out the roster. That is the unexciting part of what is happening now. However, Houston is still looking to trade for Carmelo Anthony to be a third star on the team. The Cavs and the Rockets are in the midst of a stalemate for Melo due to both teams having bad trade assets. Would the Knicks want the stubborn Sergio Llull?

Also, Carmelo Anthony was supposedly spotted in Houston today. While nothing is official, it is still interesting that multiple people have seen him. Nothing is verified, so you might take this news with a grain of salt.

Should the Rockets miss out on Melo, the team will likely sign some veterans and call it an offseason. The Rockets liked Ryan Anderson last season, so trading him and potentially not getting Anthony would not be ideal. With Morey, though, the possibility to go after another star is always possible.

The Celtics are shopping some of their core of Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, and Jae Crowder to make room for Gordon Hayward. Crowder is rumored to be heading to Utah, but could the others be on the table for the Rockets?

Players on Which the Rockets Have Missed Out

In addition to the stars that the Rockets struck out on, there were a few more role players that the Rockets pursued but did not sign. The biggest names were J.J. Redick, Andre Iguodala and Serge Ibaka.

#Rockets are interested in Serge Ibaka and JJ Redick, according to @wojespn.

— Space City Scoop (@SpaceCity_Scoop) July 1, 2017

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These players all signed with different teams, however, and got paid handsomely. The Rockets also missed out on a few veterans recently. The main one, Darren Collison signed with the Pacers. He would have been great off the bench for the Rockets.

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